After All
by Classic Cowboy
Summary: Blackest Night is over and Bruce Wayne has returned from the 'dead'. But Wonder Woman refuses to face him and the revelations she had discovered through her Star Sapphire ring. Will a friendly nudge help get a good thing started? BM/WW


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**Disclaimer: All characters are owned by DC Comics and their respective creators. No copyright infringement intended…**

**After All**

_Well here we are again  
I guess it must be fate  
We've tried it on our own  
But deep inside we've known  
We'd be back to set things straight_

I still remember when  
Your kiss was so brand new  
Every memory repeats  
Every step I take retreats  
Every journey always  
Brings me back to you

After all the stops and starts  
We keep coming back to these two hearts  
Two angels who've been rescued from the fall  
And after all that we've been through  
It all comes down to me and you  
I guess it's meant to be  
Forever you and me  
After all

When love is truly right  
This time it's truly right  
It lives from year to year  
It changes as it goes  
Oh and on the way it grows  
But it never disappears

After all the stops and starts  
We keep coming back to these two hearts  
Two angels who've been rescued from the fall  
And after all that we've been through  
It all comes down to me and you  
I guess it's meant to be  
Forever you and me  
After all

Always just beyond my touch  
Though I needed you so much  
After all what else is living for

After all the stops and starts  
We keep coming back to these two hearts  
Two angels who've been rescued from the fall  
And after all that we've been through  
It all comes down to me and you  
I guess it's meant to be  
Forever you and me  
After all

- "After All" - Cher

Mera was sure she was getting a few odd looks, walking down the streets of Washington DC in her green, skintight Atlantian garb, but she didn't really care.

She had told Arthur she had a task on the mainland and wouldn't be long. Considering the subject of her mission and her legendary stubbornness, she thought that could have been a lie. She honestly didn't care about that, either.

She had been to this apartment building only a few times since what the Lanterns and Arthur call the Blackest Night, and she realized this could possibly be the last time she would be welcomed here. Arthur would say she was being rash and sticking her nose into something that was not any of her business. Too bad, she was diving head long.

The more she thought about what was going on, the more ferociously angry she became. "Stupid, stubborn amazon!" Mera stomped her foot before the elevator dinged, and she walked out with as much regal dignity she could muster through her anger.

She stopped at the door, counted to ten, and rapped her knuckles rapidly against the hard wooden door.

After a few moments, she started to knock again but stopped when she heard the locks turning. "Mera?" Diana Prince asked as she opened the door, revealing herself in her white suit and glasses. "What are you doing here?"

"The question is, Diana, what are you doing?" Mira asked, her chin held high in a manner that reminded Diana of her own mother.

"Uh… getting ready for work?" She asked, glancing down at her DMA uniform.

Mera snorted and let herself into the apartment, glancing around. "I appreciate you taking the time to visit, but as you can see I was just getting ready to leave…"

"The Batman has returned," Mera asked, crossing her arms. "Have you spoken with him yet?"

"Yes, I welcomed him back and told him it didn't surprise me that even death couldn't stop him," Diana smiled fondly.

"And?" Mera cocked one of her crimson eyebrows.

"And, I gave him a hug and told him if he needed anything to let me know…" Diana said, busily shuffling some papers on her desk.

"And?" Mera asked again.

"He's not rejoining the League, for the time being, having to get reacquainted with Gotham after his ordeal and all," Diana explained, doing her best not to look at the redhead.

"And?" Mera asked again with a little bit of a growl in her voice.

"He's taking on an advisory role for his adopted son Tim at Wayne Industries... even though in my opinion, Tim has done an excellent job with it on his own."

"FOR NEPTUNE'S SAKE, DIANA, HAVE YOU TOLD HIM YOU LOVE HIM?"

Diana dropped every sheet of paper in her hands to the floor and glanced at Mera with wide eyes. If it wasn't for her anger, Mera would have found the sight of Diana with her glasses sliding down her nose and her eyes and mouth wide in shock incredibly funny.

"I … uh…" Diana stumbled, staring at the angered former queen.

"When Arthur came back to life," Mera explained, calming slightly, "And Star Sapphire and St. Walker saved my own unworthy life, do you know what I did? First chance I had… I kissed the air out of his lungs, I told him how much I love him, how much my life has been a shipwreck since I lost him… how much I regretted hurting him … and then, that night at the lighthouse, I SHOWED him how much I love him. I showed him repeatedly, all night long, and on into the morning. AND I've repeated the act every night since… sometimes during the day, if we're both not busy."

Diana blushed slightly at the implication but nodded. "And what have you done since Bruce beat death himself? 'Oh, hey, Batman! Glad to see you back! Oh, you sure did show death who's boss, huh? Tee hee!' something like that?"

"I … didn't go tee hee…" Diana grumbled, hugging herself.

"And why haven't you told him what we both know, O mighty Wonder Woman?" Mera asked crossing her arms again.

"Bruce has… a lot going on right now; he's been gone for a while and he's trying to get his life situated…I mean, his son, Damien is Robin… He and Dick are still trying to figure out what to do with the Batman… Dick is insisting on Bruce taking it back. Bruce is insisting on Dick continuing the good work… Tim's now his own hero and running his company… Cassandra Cain's MIA, and…" Diana took a deep breath, "I… He's totally focused on his mission; he doesn't need a distraction… we're from two separate worlds. I'm an Amazon warrior, he's a rich kid with a lot of issues, now more than ever, and we both have a lot of enemies just watching for a weak spot…"

"By Neptune, you and he are perfect for each other; you sound exactly alike!" Mera laughed with a mix of humor and disgust. "Are you done making excuses and ready to admit you're scared?"

"I'm not scared…" Diana replied a little too quickly.

"You could have fooled me," Mera stated before walking up to touch the Amazon's shoulders. "Diana, it's ok to be nervous and scared. You're opening up in a way that could hurt… a lot. When Arthur came back… I was terrified… I still am terrified. I am scared to death I'm going to screw this up again… or something bad is going to happen to him again… but it's worth the risk. He's worth the risk. I have made a solemn vow that I will not let him go a day, a single day, without knowing that if no one else cares about him on the surface, or under the seas… I will always love him."

"Fine! I'm horrified, ok?" Diana stated and sat down roughly on the bed. "But it's a lot more complicated than that…" she sighed, removing her glasses. She then proceeded to tell Mera about visions from J'onn's machine.

"So, let me get this straight… you had visions of dozens of possibilities of you living long, happy lives together… few hard times, granted, but one view of the Clown killing him made you back off?" Mera asked after a few moments of thought.

"Joker tortured him!" Diana exclaimed, tears forming in the corners of her eyes from the memory of the nightmarish vision. "He brutalized him… and then… and then, I crushed the Clown's skull like a grape… and I enjoyed it… I enjoyed feeling his skin and bones give way. When I killed Max… that's how I was able to do it. I didn't see Max, I saw the Joker's grin, heard his laugh…" she finished, hiding her face; her amazon pride wouldn't allow her to cry even in front of a friend. "I have never hated anyone before, but I do hate the Joker… and for something he hasn't even done… how pathetic is that?"

"Joker's done enough on his own to warrant everyone's hatred, Diana," Mera sat down beside her friend, placing an arm around her shoulder. "Maybe it was a gift from your gods; Venus gave you another chance to be with the man you love… even for just one more day… don't think you should treasure the opportunity?"

"Aphrodite," Diana corrected, a small smile playing on her face.

"Whatever…" Mera shrugged, "The point is, GO! Talk to him! Even if he rejects you, you'll have the air clear. You will know that he knows."

"I…"

"Are you or are you not an Amazon?" Mera asked, standing up. "I always thought the legendary Wonder Woman was made of tougher stuff…"

"You're right…" Diana sighed, standing up and spinning in place. One Flash of light later, her hair was down and she was in her Wonder Woman armor.

"That's a neat trick…" Mera blinked at the transformation.

"You're absolutely right, Mera," Wonder Woman smiled shakily. "If I'm going to get a good night's sleep ever again, I need to clear the air.

"Thank you," Wonder Woman gave her a tight hug. "I… I really needed the pep talk."

"What are friends for?" Mera smiled. "One more thing, though. If you can contact Martian Manhunter, ask him to contact me, would you? Something… weird is going on with Arthur's powers. I thought he might be able to help."

"If I see him, I'll send him your way," Diana nodded, "Is there anything I can do?"

"Just go see Bruce and get it over and done with… maybe give me the details afterwards," Mera smiled wickedly.

"I'll come see you after I finish meeting with Bruce this evening," Diana nodded.

"Or tomorrow morning?" Mera laughed, and this time Diana laughed with her.

"…We'll see," Diana smirked and nudged her friend.

-BMWW-

"Uh… Mr. Wayne?" Bruce Wayne looked up at the intercom on his desk at Wayne Towers.

"Yes, Sharon?" Bruce asked, quirking an eyebrow before going back to a finance report.

"You have a visitor…"Sharon replied somewhat shakily.

"I already said I wasn't to be disturbed, Sharon," Bruce grunted. "Tell Tim if it's work-related to go to Lucius, if he needs help. If it's not work-related, I'll see him tonight."

"It's Wonder Woman, Sir," Sharon said, her voice squeaking slightly.

"Oh…" Bruce blinked. "Send her in."

"Yes, Sir," Sharon said, sounding relieved.

Bruce sat back as Diana walked into his office, her back straight and head held high as if she was going to face a dignitary or government leader. She'd probably be more relaxed if that was the case.

"What can I do for you, Princess?" Bruce asked, smiling his first real smile of the day.

"We need to talk…" Diana said, her voice a lot stronger than she expected it.

In an instant, Bruce was replaced by the Bat. His eyes hardened, and his smile tightened into a frown. She held up her hand before he could complete his "transformation". "No, Bruce, it's not … work-related…" He relaxed just slightly, but she could tell he was on edge and prepared for almost anything. 'Even he probably won't see this coming…' she thought to herself with a little humor.

"Bruce…" Diana took a deep breath. "I lied to you…"

This caused Bruce to tilt his head in confusion. "Do you remember… when I went into J'onn's machine…"

"That's been a few years…" Bruce nodded.

"I told you that there wasn't anything interesting… but… just about everything I saw was … almost perfect! You and me… happy, together, Gotham safe and beautiful… and while there was a few bumps… it was mostly happy…" Diana explained, pacing before his desk.

"But… I saw one vision where I… I lost you…" Diana breathed, "I saw that I couldn't deal with that as your lover… and then… then, I lost you anyway. And I saw firsthand I couldn't deal with it as your friend either…"

"Diana…" Bruce stood up.

"Don't, Bruce, I know you weren't really dead… just lost… but Kal found a body… you were dead to us… you were dead to me… only Tim believed." Bruce silently let her continue, but he didn't return to his seat.

"I didn't believe in you enough to think you'd find a way out of it," Diana shook her head, "When… when I saw Kal… carrying the body in your suit…it didn't matter anymore. It felt like a part of me, the best part of me, just withered and died right there on the spot."

"Diana…"

"You are my best friend…" Diana pressed on, not letting Bruce interrupt. "I know your rules. I know your mission. I know you will not rest until Gotham is safe and every child in the city will never have to face what you went through. I know that, Bruce, I know it and I accept it."

"Princess…"

"I know you say we're different people, but why should that matter? Clark and Lois are like total opposites! But they don't conflict. They complement their differences; they support one another… you have issues? Well, Bruce, I have more issues than a long-running comic book series! In fact, I think we could probably compete on who has the most issues and we'd have a good contest." She said confidently.

"Princess… marry me."

"Stop trying to interrupt! The truth is, I love you, Bruce Wayne! Hara help me… I'm in love with you!" She exclaimed, throwing up her arms in frustration, "Even if you don't want to be with me, if you don't think it's worth risking your Mission, I want you to know how much you mean to me!"

"I asked you to marry me, Princess…" Bruce tried again, a smile playing on his lips.

"Even if you… Wait, what?" Diana stopped as her brain processed his words. "Could you repeat that, please?"

"I already repeated once," Bruce walked around the desk, "I, Bruce Wayne, propose marriage to you, Princess Diana, daughter of Hippolyta of Themyscira, Queen of the Amazons."

"I… I… I…" Diana stared with her blue eyes as wide as saucers.

"Let's just say almost dying and getting thrown through time with hardly any memories except a few symbols, especially yours, bouncing in my head helped to put a man's life in perspective." Bruce walked up, taking her hands in his own. "I'm not giving up my Mission. I'm not giving up the Batman. And I'm not giving up on Gotham. But… I want to stop trying to give up on you.

"So, what do you say, Princess?" Bruce asked, "The Princess and the Knight should at least gun for happily ever after, right?"

"You're supposed to go down to one knee," Diana smiled impishly.

"I've never been a fan of traditions," Bruce smirked before the air was knocked from his lungs, and he was tackled across his desk.

Diana marveled at the feel of his lips against hers, and his hands gripping her body. She thought her vision breaking the hold of the Black Lantern was a wonderful kiss. The real Bruce blew dream Bruce out of the water.

After a few moments, the new couple broke their kiss, and just smiled at each other while trying to catch their breath. Bruce then reached for his intercom. "Sharon?"

"Yes, Mr. Wayne?"

"If anyone calls, I'll be out of the office for the rest of the evening," Bruce stated, "Tell Tim and Lucius that I had some other business to take care of."

"Yes, Sir!"

"So, are we going back to your place to take care of your 'other business,' Mr. Wayne," Diana smiled with a seductive yet slightly nervous smile.

"Only if it's your wish, Princess," Bruce replied, dramatically.

"Oh, it is," Diana grabbed Bruce's arm and moved toward his window, "It definitely is…" She said as she wrapped her arm around him and took flight out the open window.

-BMWW-

"I appreciate you guys coming to help," Tim Wayne said as he, Conner Kent, and Cassie Sandsmark worked to uncover the furniture of the stately Wayne Manor. "Since Bruce came back, Alfred, Dick, Bruce and I haven't had time."

"Don't mention it, Tim," Cassie said, pulling the sheet off the couch in the living room.

"Yeah, but I am still waiting on those gourmet hamburgers…" Conner said with a big smile.

"Hamburgers?" Cassie asked, quirking an eyebrow as Tim groaned and rolled his eyes.

"REEED ROBINNN, YUMMM!" Conner sang dramatically.

"Good Lord," Tim sighed, shaking his head as Cassie slapped her boyfriend on the back of the head and called him an idiot.

"Any chance of you coming back to the Titans now that Batman is back?" Cassie asked as the trio moved from the living room to the bedrooms.

"Maybe once Bruce gets all settled back," Tim replied, "We'll see…"

"Where is Bats, anyway?" Conner asked, glancing around the manor walls.

"He said he had some other business to take care of," Tim replied, "That is usually code for Bat-related work."

"Ah… well… then, why are there two other people here…" Conner narrowed his eyes as his super hearing picked up movement from the master bedroom.

"Might be burglars…" Tim stepped forward, crouching slightly in a fighting stance as the master bedroom door slowly opened.

All three of their young minds shut down when Diana padded out, wearing only an oversized, unbuttoned dress shirt. "Bruce, I'm going to get something from the kitchen. Want anything? You might need some water to rehydrate yourself…" Diana said with a seductive tone none of the three had ever heard before.

"DIANA!" Cassie squeaked as the boys' jaws dropped.

"CASSIE!" Diana pulled the shirt closed.

"What's going on out here?" Bruce walked out, wearing only a pair of plain boxers.

Tim stared at Bruce in shock. "Bruce!"

"Batman and Wonder Woman! Doing the horizontal mambo! Holy shit!" Conner grinned like he had just won the lotto. "WAIT TILL BART AND GAR HEAR ABOUT THIS!"

"Conner!" Cassie flicked him in the head again.

"We'll talk about this later, Cassie," Diana stepped back toward the bedroom entrance, "but… could you kids go someplace else for now… maybe for the night?"

"Yes, ma'am," Tim grabbed Conner and Cassie's arm and quickly led them toward the door. He stopped and glanced back at the Amazon, "Take care of him," Tim ordered, his eyes as hard as his adopted father's.

Diana nodded and entered the bedroom, closing the door behind her.

Tim smiled as his mind started to process the implications of all this as he led his still shocked friends out. "Maybe things will work out after all…"

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_After all the stops and starts  
We keep coming back to these two hearts  
Two angels who've been rescued from the fall  
And after all that we've been through  
It all comes down to me and you  
I guess it's meant to be  
Forever you and me  
After all_

**The End?**

**A/N just a little something that I came up with while at work. I might follow up this fic later. Hope you enjoyed, and don't forget to review!**


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